Rafael Nadal opens up on when he is likely to retire

Rafael Nadal has revealed that he has enjoyed how his career has turned out and expects to continue playing at the highest level until it makes him happy. He stated that if he ever loses the satisfaction of playing tennis, that would be the day he would take up a different career.

Nadal had a brilliant 2017 campaign with two Grand Slams – the French Open and the US Open – taking his tally of titles to 16. He was equally matched by Roger Federer, who ended the year with the Australian Open and the US Open, and the Swiss ace has now accumulated a total of 19 slams.

However, Nadal had the last laugh by beating Federer to the top spot in the year-end rankings despite losing to him on four occasions this year – in the finals of the Australian Open, the Miami Open and the Shanghai Masters, as well as in the fourth round at Indian Wells.

The Spaniard was his humble self when asked to describe his career as a whole, stating that he has achieved more than he had ever dreamed of. He added that now his goal is to keep competing for things that motivate him.

"Well, I don't really have any dreams but everything that has happened in my career has been more than I ever hoped for or imagined. My motivation is the same as it has always been, to keep feeling that I'm competitive every year and to keep enjoying tennis," Nadal said in an interview with Spanish publication AS.

"I am lucky enough to be doing something that makes me happy. If one day, I lose that feeling when I'm pushing myself to achieve something in my sport, that will be the moment to start thinking about doing something else. My goal is to keep playing at a level that gives me a chance to compete for the things that really motivate me for as long as possible," he added.